2) Tell us a little about KEDS.

KEDS was founded in 1990. Originally based in Wolverhampton we were then known as Midlands Bible College. We began as a part-time evening school but eventually moved into distance learning. KEDS offers B.Th. and M.A. degrees, and a Graduate Diploma in Theology, all validated by the University of Chester. We also offer less demanding Bible courses for those not wanting to commit to the requirements of a full degree. All our courses are wholly online.

3) Are the courses full time, part-time or a mixture of both?

A mixture of both. The M.A. can be taken full/part-time, while the B.Th. is part-time. However it can be completed in as little as four years (a full-time degree is typically three years).

4) How do KEDS students fund their studies?

KEDS’s first building

Most are self-funding or receive assistance from their churches. The nature of distance learning is such we can keep our prices much lower than attending a university or Bible college (you also save on accommodation fees) and the affordable nature of our courses has been attractive to many students.

5) Does KEDS take students from overseas?

Yes, and our overseas student body is growing steadily. A few years ago about two-thirds of students were British and the rest overseas. Now we’re closer to a 55-45% split and I expect we’ll have equal numbers of UK and overseas within a year or two.

6) What type of ministry is KEDS intended to prepare students for?

We have many students either preparing for or already in full/part-time ministry, but many are also studying at KEDS because they want to be more effective in the lay ministry to which God has called them. There are also people studying Theology at KEDS purely out of interest, or because they want to enhance their knowledge of the Bible.

7) When students leave KEDS what kind of ministries / jobs do they go into.

Many are (or become) pastors, or go into different Christian ministries serving as missionaries, evangelists, general Christian workers, and so on. Quite a few KEDS students go on to do higher degrees both at KEDS and elsewhere. Some students use their degree to secure work in the secular world, where a company may be looking for the analytical and other skills acquired through a Theology degree.

8) What is distinctive about what KEDS offers compared with other colleges in England and overseas?

There are four features I would highlight about KEDS. First, our confessional Evangelical position which underpins all we do. We have modules in Evangelical Theology, while KEDS publishes the Evangelical Review of Theology and Politics. Second, we focus very strongly on hermeneutics at KEDS. I don’t know anywhere else in the UK where a whole Bachelor degree focuses on biblical interpretation in this way. Third is our focus on studying Theology by distance learning. Certainly other Bible colleges offer distance learning courses, but this is all we do, something we have focused on and invested in a great deal over many years.

David Williams is a former MA student who
recently came on board as a B.Th. tutor

We work hard on developing our eCampus and looking out for web and IT advances that help ensure our students enjoy the best distance learning experience. Finally, KEDS a Centre for Jewish-Christian Studies for those interested in Jewish ministry.Prospective students do not need to tick all four boxes to study at KEDS; most choose us because they want one or more of these four “distinctives”.

9) Please tell us about the library and other research facilities.

As an online school we’ve invested mainly in full-text electronic resources, whether books uploaded to our online library with publishers’ permission, or purchasing multiple full-text journal subscriptions. Our Chester students also have full access to the university library, including online databases and full-text library subscriptions. KEDS also provides students with details of local and online libraries they can access, together with a comprehensive list of websites providing a wealth of theological resources (including your own excellent biblicalstudies.org.uk website). Students may buy a shortlist of maybe a dozen books over their course, but on the whole they get most of their reading through the above options.